


Burning Lights

by Nolachu



Series: Patterns [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Bitterness, Drinking to Cope, F/M, Gen, Most characters just mentioned, Walk Into A Bar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 17:28:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10518450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nolachu/pseuds/Nolachu
Summary: LaRousse was a technological marvel, a glittering jewel sitting in the sea. People, Pokemon and robots alike bustled through the glowing streets despite the late hour and none of LaRousse’s lights had shone as bright as Drew Hayden.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, its literally been a year since I last posted something. Hopefully it won't be this long till the next post. I'm not exactly happy with the ending, which I've been sitting on it, but here it is. Comments are always appretiated

It was yet another humid Hoenn night in the wondrous city of LaRousse. The city was a technological marvel, a glittering jewel sitting in the sea. People, Pokemon and robots alike bustled through the glowing streets despite the late hour. But even the brightest lights grow dim, and none of LaRousse’s lights had shone as bright as Drew Hayden. LaRousse's golden boy, once an icon of Hoenn along with his small town lover.

Drew Hayden now sat in a dive bar, glaring blearily at the television screen. He couldn’t tell who had decided to turn on the news in the dark bar, but there it was, talking once again about the alleged ‘Cult of Ketchum.’

“Turn it off,” a voice snapped from across the bar. Drew blinked as a tall, stern faced, purple haired man sat on the stool next to him.

“Hey, I know you,” he slurred as the man quietly ordered a drink, and turned to watch the battle that was now on. “Your, your the purple guy…. Uh, you were at Dawn’s….”

“My name is Paul,” the man grumbled, glaring at the screen. “And you are Drew Hayden. Former Hoenn Grand Festival winner and current drunkard. What of it?” 

“You… you knew him right,” Drew muttered, a tremor in his voice, staring blankly at the tv as if the previous news story was still playing.

 

“I did… and?” 

“Do you think…. Do you think they’re right about him, about… them?”

 

Paul stared at Drew for a long moment, considering the glazed green eyes. The shadowy lines under them were prominent, and as much as he attempted to avoid gossip, he had still heard rumors from Barry about the former Top Coordinator’s recent drinking habits. If the past few minutes were any indication it seemed the rumors were true, and Paul pitied him for it. 

“Ketchum was… a charismatic person.” He finally muttered, glancing away from Drew, though he couldn’t help but notice the pained wince from green-haired man. “Men, women, Pokemon, they all seemed to fall for him in the blink of the eye. And with everything that’s been happening….”

“So, you think that they were…”

“No, the whole cult thing is a load of Tauros shit,” he replied bluntly, eyes once again locked on the battle on the screen. “Ketchum was a moron, he could pull off the occasional strategy, but he mostly just made things up when he went along. I doubt he could create a whole cult and plan for all the other deaths.

“Besides that, while his friends were certainly, loyal, to him, I doubt any of them would have killed themselves over him. I may have only met the gym leader-turned breeder- turned whatever else and that … troublesome girl, but from what I know - knew of them, they were still very independent. They had plans and lives away from him. So no, I do not believe that Ash Ketchum started some death cult spanning at least three gyms, and four regions. The news just wants a sensational story, and with another uninvestigated death every couple of months combined with Ketchum’s far reaching connections,” he ended the triad, which may have been one of the most emotional speeches he had given in is life with nothing more than a noncommittal shrug.

The sudden emotion in the infamously stoic man’s voice had caught the eye several of the bar’s patrons. Murmurs from the tables now floated. Though no one seemed as shocked as Drew who blinked at Paul with wide green eyes. 

“You… You really cared about,,,”

“You don’t need to finish that Hayden,” the purple haired man grunted as he took a sip of his drink.

“How… how do you handle it Paul?” Drew asked staring into his own drink.

Paul arched a single thick purple eyebrow as glanced at the man next to him. “I don’t have a heart,” he answered simply. “Ask anywhere out there.”

The green haired man shook his head, maybe too much as began to tilt one side as he slurred, “That’s not true. You cared about … them? And you’re still fighting for them, even though they’re dead.” Imploring green eyes turned to cold dark ones, “How, how can you still, do it?”

The purple haired man stiffened for a moment before throwing back the rest of his drink, and placed several Poké down on the bar.

“I’m a trainer Hayden,” the man snorted giving the other a long withering look. “Pokemon trainers fight. But I wouldn’t expect a pathetic, drunken mess of a coordinator to understand that,” and with that the imposing purple haired trainer stalked out of bar. 

For a moment, Drew could do nothing but stare in bafflement at the door where the man had previously been. And then he felt something he hadn’t felt in years. Where confusion and depression had clouded his mind for the past two years, now a newly lit rage burned under in his chest, flames licking through his body. It took all his control to keep from slamming his money on the bar, as he stumbled to his feet, and out of the door, cursing Paul, Ketchum, his dwindling fanbase, and the vultures in the news with all his being. But flames of his hatred burned the brightest for none other than May Maple.


End file.
